Saddle rack

ABSTRACT

The invention is a saddle rack comprised of an upper portion or body upon which the saddle rests, fabricated by plastic mould injection, approximating an equine&#39;s back shape and supported by four legs. Bridle and halter may be stored on handles, and baskets provide extra storage space. Numerous embodiments are provided, including embodiments to accommodate either Western or English shaped saddles. Preferably, the body is of webbed or perforated design allowing additional air penetration and ventilation of the underside of a saddle resting on the rack, advantageously providing the saddle a means to dry while being stored. More preferably, racks may be stacked for shipping or display, to save space. Maintenance and cleaning are greatly simplified by durable plastic design.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to saddle racks and, moreparticularly, to portable, ventilated and stackable saddle racks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Saddles provide support for a rider and protect the back of a horse, andas such are an essential piece of equestrian equipment. Some of therelevant parts of a saddle are the skeleton or saddle tree, shaped toclear the horse's backbone; the saddle flaps on the sides; the pommel atthe front edge; the cantle at the rear edge; and the padded panels,which run the length of the saddle under the tree, between the pommeland the cantle. Saddles are generally the most expensive equipment arider requires. They are bulky and awkward to carry and store, but ifnot properly supported during storage, they may lose their shape orbecome scarred. The padding next to the horse's body is often damp fromsweat, and may mould if not properly aired. Arrangements must be made toproperly store saddles both long-term, in a house, barn or otherbuilding; and temporarily, during transport or while awaiting use at ahorse show, in an arena or ring, or in the field.

Various types of saddle racks are known. Many are made of metal pipe,including U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,521 (issued Nov. 9,1993) (Shaffer et al.),CA 963878 (issued Mar. 4, 1975) (Wilmoth). U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,971(issued Dec. 25, 1973) (Filipps), EP: GB 2197781 (published Jun. 2,1988) (Wilson), EP: GB 2097239 (published Nov. 3, 1982) (Safran) andU.S. Pat. No. 3,305,101 (issued Feb. 21, 1967) (Mills) or metal slats,such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,656 (issued Sep. 6,1988) (Hartley). Metalracks are strong and usually provide ventilation and some are relativelyeasy to manufacture but they may damage the padding and may not properlysupport the saddle. Many saddle racks project horizontally from avertical structure such as a wall, including the racks of U.S. Pat. No.2,953,252 (issued Sept. 20,1960) (Koontz), US D 277,989 (issued Mar. 12,1985) (Wakat), US Pub. No. 2004/0182803 (published Sept. 23, 2004) (Layet al.), CA 1075207 (issued Apr. 8,1980) (Reti), U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,841(issued Oct. 22, 1991) (Fernbaugh et al.), and EP: FR 2739435 (publishedApr. 4, 1997) (Turpin). If properly constructed these saddle racks mayprovide support in permanent locations, or sometimes duringtransportation, but are not readily portable to hold the saddle whileawaiting use ringside or in the field.

Other saddle racks rest on the floor and hold saddles or otherequipment. Most of these are made of wood, such as U.S. Pat. No.5,165,553 (issued Nov. 24, 1992) (Benson), GB 2,309,890 (published Aug.13,1997) (Beasley et al.), US D 284,122 (issued Jun. 3,1986) (Kizen),and U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,459 (issued Feb. 21, 1984) (Coldren) and meantfor indoor use, but cannot easily be carried with the saddles in placeand used as a free-standing saddle-holder. Wooden racks can be heavy,and may damage padding. Some saddle racks, including U.S. Pat. No.2,809,755 (issued Oct. 15, 1957) (Martorello), U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,152(issued Sep. 9, 2003) (Oliver), US D 221,871 (issued Sept. 14, 1971)(Pearce), EP: FR 2603856 (published Mar. 18, 1988) (Derenne), and U.S.Pat. No. 5,791,668 (issued Aug. 11, 1998) (Lenardson) have wheels, butthese are often more expensive, bulky, and difficult to manufacture,store and transport. Previous saddle holders that were made of plasticsuch as U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,207 (issued May 27, 2001) (Kelley) and U.S.Pat. No. 5,361,929 (issued Nov. 8, 1994) (McLain et al.) werelightweight and provided support to the saddle panels but did not allowthe padding to dry out during storage, so the saddles were vulnerable tomould.

What is desired therefore is a saddle rack which overcomes thelimitations and problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a saddle rackcomprising a moulded body portion curved in cross section, said bodyportion being moulded to correspond to the underside of a saddle andhaving oppositely disposed end walls, said body being formed fromrelatively light but hard material formed to provide means forsupporting a saddle; and preferably legs to support said body portionhaving a keyed slide thereon, the body of said saddle rack being coupledslidably, via a key-way slot, to said keyed slide.

The present invention is also directed to a saddle rack with legs havinga length such that saddles just clear the ground. Said legs may beadapted to prevent their removal from the body of the saddle rack oncethe rack is assembled. There may preferably be handles on each end ofthe body of the rack each adapted to serve as a holder for the bridleand halter. Extra storage may be provided by baskets or trays. Thesaddle rack may preferably be formed from fiberglass or injectionmoulded plastic, preferably with UV protection. Preferably, the bodiesand legs of the saddle racks are nestable for storage and display. Thebody of the saddle rack is preferably of a webbed or perforated designto assist in ventilating the underside of a saddle resting on the rack.

Advantages of the various embodiments of the invention over the priorart include:

1) a webbed or perforated design so that the saddle and its padding canbreathe and dry quickly after use, preventing the moulding common tosaddles stored on plastic saddle racks of the prior art;

2) lightweight and useable indoors or out, unlike wooden saddle racks;

3) easily carried with the saddle in place.

4) provides good support to all parts of the saddle, unlike tubularmetal racks, so that the saddle retains its shape;

5) inexpensive to manufacture, being preferably made of injectionmoulded plastic;

6) inexpensive to ship and store, as the legs are not attached until thepoint of use, and the parts are stackable and nestable as well as light.

This and other advantages will become more readily apparent from theattached more detailed description of the saddle rack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention,designed for an English saddle;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are front and back elevational views of the embodiment ofFIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are top and bottom views of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, designed for a Western saddle;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are front and back elevational views of the embodiment ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are top and bottom views of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 15 to 18 are various additional views of the embodiment of FIG.13, with FIGS. 17 and 18 providing detailed views of the leg attachment;

FIGS. 19 to 25 are various views of a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention, with FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrating stacking of two saddleracks and FIGS. 24 and 25 providing detailed views of the legattachment;

FIGS. 26 and 27 are perspective views of a fifth embodiment of thepresent invention, with FIG. 27 illustrating stacking of two saddleracks;

FIGS. 28 and 29 are perspective views of a sixth embodiment of thepresent invention, with FIG. 29 illustrating stacking of two saddleracks;

FIGS. 30 to 39 are various views of a seventh embodiment of the presentinvention, with FIGS. 36 and 37 providing detailed views of the legattachment and FIGS. 38 and 39 illustrating stacking of two saddleracks;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is to be had to the Figures in which identical referencenumbers identify similar components.

Referring to the Figures generally, the present invention is of a saddlerack or holder (1) preferably constructed of a lightweight but strongplastic injected into a mould. The rack (1) generally comprises an uppersurface or body (10) disposed between end walls (11) and is preferablysupported by legs (12). Preferably, the upper surface or body (10) ofthe saddle rack (1) is of a webbed (18) or perforated (18 o) designwithin a heavier framework (16), the whole curved in cross section andshaped to fit the underside of a saddle (not shown). More preferably,the body (10) of the saddle rack (1) is of a shape and size such that aplurality of them can be nested or stacked together to fit into a boxfor shipping. The body (10) may be constructed using any appropriatematerial, most desirably a light-weight but strong plastic, and may beformed by injection moulding.

In a preferred embodiment, the body (10) is supported by detachable legs(12), which may also nest together and be snapped into place uponassembly of the rack (1). Preferably, the legs (12) are sized so thatthe flaps of larger saddles will just clear the ground. More preferably,the legs (12) slidably engage with the body (10) of the saddle holder(1). The legs (12) may be slidably coupled to the body (10) through akeyed slide (13) on the leg (12), and key-way slot mechanism (14) on thebody (10). See FIGS. 17-18, 24-25 and 36-37 for three differentembodiments of the keyed slide (13) and key-way slot mechanism (14).Even more preferably, the keyed slide 13 further comprises tabs (13 t)to insert in, or engage with, corresponding openings (14 o) in thekey-way slot mechanism (14), thereby providing additional frictionalengagement between the legs (12) and body (10) and thereby reducing thelikelihood that the legs (12) will accidentally detach when a rack (1)is lifted from the ground; see FIGS. 17-18 and 36-37. Alternatively thebody (10) and legs (12) are of a unitary moulded construction.

Preferably, handles (20) are advantageously positioned at each end ofthe body (10), so that the saddle and saddle rack (1) may be easilycarried from place to place. The handles (20) preferably are formed asextensions of the end walls (11) of said body (10), curved in crosssection or otherwise shaped to provide means for supporting a bridle andhalter and keeping them off the floor or ground; see FIGS. 1-12 and30-39. Alternatively, handles may be formed by indentations or recessesin the end walls (11) at each end of the body (10); see FIGS. 26-29.

More preferably, baskets (22), for other equestrian equipment, arereleasably mounted across or between paired legs (12) of the saddle rack(1) at either end, to hold other equestrian equipment and provideadditional stability to the legs (12); see FIGS. 1-4, 7 and 30 - 34.These baskets (22) are preferably shaped so that, when detached from therack (1), they may be nested or stacked together for ease of shippingand storage.

Stacking Embodiments

In some of the embodiments, the body (10) of the saddle rack (1) is of agenerally hollow or concave shape with the underside (15) of suitabledimensions and shape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddlerack (1′). In these embodiments a first saddle rack (1) may be stackedor nested upon the body of a second rack (1′). Additional racks (notshown) may likewise be added to the stack.

See FIGS. 15, 21-23, 27, 29, 35 and 38-39 for various stacking saddlerack embodiments, with components of the second rack (1′) generallybeing referenced with identical reference numbers, to those used for thefirst rack (1), and then followed with the prime (′) symbol; so as toeasily identify similar components on each of the two racks (1 and 1′);e.g. the webbed area (18) on the first rack (1) and the webbed area(18′) on the second rack (1′).

Ventilated Embodiments

In some of the embodiments, the body (10) has a solid frame (16) forstrength, supporting larger webbed areas (18) designed to provide bothsupport and ventilation to a saddle (not shown) placed on the saddlerack (1). Alternatively perforations, holes or openings (18 o) may beprovided in place of, or in addition to, the webbed areas (18), tosupply ventilation or augment the ventilation provided by the webbedareas (18).

English and Western Saddle Embodiments

FIGS. 1 to 6 generally illustrate an embodiment suitable to hold anEnglish saddle while FIGS. 7 to 12 generally illustrate an embodimentsuitable to hold a Western saddle.

As seen most readily in FIGS. 1 and 4, it has been found advantageouswhen manufacturing the saddle holder (1) for English saddles if thelength (24) of the holder (10) is 24 inches, the height (26) is 10¾inches, and the length (28) of the legs (12) is 22½ inches. In FIGS. 2,3 and 5, it can be seen that the width (30) of the saddle holder (10) isadvantageously 17 inches front and back to support an English saddle. Inthe embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the frame (16) is 3 incheswide lengthwise along the apex of the saddle holder (32), and 1½ incheswide elsewhere, including around the edges (34) and in a lateral support(36) (see FIG. 5).

An embodiment of the rack (1) suitable for Western saddles isillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 10; with optional baskets (22) only shown inFIG. 7. It has been found advantageous when manufacturing the saddleholder (10) for Western saddles if the length (38) of the holder (10) is29 inches, the height at the front end (40) is 10¾ inches and at theback end (42) is 9½ inches, and the length (44) of the legs (12) is 22½inches (see also FIGS. 8 and 9). In FIGS. 8, 9 and 11, it can be seenthat the width (30) of the saddle holder (10) is advantageously 17inches at the front (46) and 19 inches at the back (48) to support aWestern saddle. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 12, theframe (16) is 3 inches wide lengthwise along the apex of the saddleholder (50), and 1½ inches wide elsewhere, including around the edges(52 and 54) (see FIG. 11).

The specific embodiments described should be taken as illustrative ofthe invention only and not as limiting its scope. Many furthermodifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the artto which the invention relates and the inventions should be construed inaccordance with the accompanying claims. For example, the baskets couldbe omitted or replaced by a tray suspended under the body (10) andremovably coupled to the legs (12). The legs (12) may be bolted to thebody (10) or the key slot mechanism (14) may be designed so that oncethe legs (12) are engaged with the body (10) they cannot be removed.

1. A saddle rack comprising: a moulded body portion curved in crosssection, said body portion being moulded to correspond to the undersideof a saddle and with oppositely disposed end walls, said body beingformed from relatively light but hard material formed to provide meansfor supporting a saddle; and legs to support said body portion having akeyed slide thereon, the body of said saddle rack being coupledslidably, via a key-way slot, to said keyed slide.
 2. The saddle rack ofclaim 1 further comprising stop means, provided in association with eachsaid leg, said stop means adapted to prevent the removal of the leg fromthe body of the saddle rack.
 3. The saddle rack of claim 1 wherein ahandle is disposed on each end wall.
 4. The saddle rack of claim 3wherein the handle is an extension of each end wall, said extensionbeing curved in cross section, serving as a bridle holder.
 5. The saddlerack of claim 1 wherein said saddle rack has a basket and means tosupport a basket.
 6. The saddle rack of claim 1 further comprising meansfor compactly storing said saddle rack.
 7. The saddle rack of claim 6wherein said means for compactly storing said saddle rack comprisesmeans for nesting a plurality of said saddle racks together.
 8. Thesaddle rack of claim 7 wherein said means for compactly storing saidsaddle rack comprises: said body portion having a generally concaveshape; and an underside on said body portion of suitable dimensions andshape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddle rack's bodyportion.
 9. The saddle rack of claim 1 wherein the body of the saddlerack comprises at least one webbed area within a heavier framework, thewhole adapted for ventilating the underside of the saddle.
 10. Thesaddle rack of claim 1 wherein the body of the saddle rack comprises atleast one perforated area within a heavier framework, the whole adaptedfor ventilating the underside of the saddle.
 11. A saddle rackcomprising: a hollow moulded body portion curved in cross section, saidbody portion being moulded to correspond to the underside of a saddleand with oppositely disposed end wails, said body being formed fromrelatively light but hard material formed to provide means forsupporting a saddle; wherein the body of the saddle rack comprises atleast one webbed area within a heavier framework, the whole adapted fordrying the saddle.
 12. The saddle rack of claim 11 wherein a handle isdisposed on each end wall.
 13. The saddle rack of claim 12 wherein thehandle is an extension of each end wall, said extension being curved incross section, serving as a bridle holder.
 14. The saddle rack of claim11 wherein said saddle rack further comprises: a plurality of legs; abasket; and means to support said basket from at least one of said legs.15. The saddle rack of claim 11 further comprising means for compactlystoring said saddle rack.
 16. The saddle rack of claim 15 wherein saidmeans for compactly storing said saddle rack comprises: said bodyportion having a generally concave shape; and an underside on said bodyportion of suitable dimensions and shape so as to receive the upper sideof a second saddle rack's body portion.
 17. A saddle rack comprising: amoulded body portion curved in cross section, said body portion beingmoulded to correspond to the underside of a saddle and with oppositelydisposed end walls, said body being formed from relatively light buthard material formed to provide means for supporting a saddle; and meansfor compactly storing said saddle rack.
 18. The saddle rack of claim 17wherein said means for compactly storing said saddle rack comprises agenerally concave shaped body portion having an underside of suitabledimensions and shape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddlerack.
 19. A saddle rack comprising: a hollow moulded body portion curvedin cross section, said body portion being moulded to correspond to theunderside of a saddle and with oppositely disposed end wails, said bodybeing formed from relatively light but hard material formed to providemeans for supporting a saddle; wherein the body of the saddle rackcomprises at least one perforated area within a heavier framework, thewhole adapted for drying the saddle.
 20. The saddle rack of claim 19wherein a handle is disposed on each end wall.
 21. The saddle rack ofclaim 20 wherein the handle is an extension of each end wall, saidextension being curved in cross section, serving as a bridle holder. 22.The saddle rack of claim 19 wherein said saddle rack further comprises:a plurality of legs; a basket; and means to support said basket from atleast one of said legs.
 23. The saddle rack of claim 19 furthercomprising means for compactly storing said saddle rack.
 24. The saddlerack of claim 23 wherein said means for compactly storing said saddlerack comprises: said body portion having a generally concave shape; andan underside on said body portion of suitable dimensions and shape so asto receive the upper side of a second saddle rack's body portion.